Why a Garden Suite
Garden suites when approved by your local municipality are legal, detached, from the ground up rental suites located on your property often in the backyard of a standard home.
The advantages of a Garden Suite (sometimes called a cottage) include more privacy for you in your home. More equity on your land,
And with the cost of housing going up this can be a great way to help family members such as adult children, aging parents, or in-laws. You have the advantage of having your loved ones close but retaining some privacy as opposed to a room or space in your existing home. If they are going to pay rent elsewhere, you now have a situation where that rent can help your cash flow. Perhaps you can offer them below-market rent. In the case of children, the rent they pay may be invested for their future and the equity in the land will help them when the time comes. The cash flow produced will go on long after any financing or mortgage is paid off. What a legacy to leave!
Many municipalities do not allow Garden Suites to be used for vacation rentals at this time but check with your local municipality and zoning rules.
Carriage houses are a little different in that they usually require some form of a garage as part of the build. It’s common to have a detached garage with a suite above called a “carriage house.” The garage below is how they differ from a garden suite. These are another great example of how to leverage your land and add both equity and cash flow. Many municipalities allow this type of build. Check with your local zoning laws to be sure.
Thistle construction has experience building Garden Suites, Carriage Houses, and Cottages. Check out some examples in our project gallery.
We follow the same process building Garden Suites or Carriage houses as we do for home building or renovations.